The General Directorate of Spatial, Environmental and Agricultural Policy of the Decentralized Administration of the Aegean has decided not to approve the environmental terms for a new underground hotel with a capacity of 93 beds at the location Ganema of Serifos, proposed by the company SERIFOS VILLAGE IKE.
According to the decision, this outcome resulted from the fact that the Regional Environmental Licensing Council of the Decentralized Administration of the Aegean issued a unanimously negative opinion on the approval of environmental terms and the issuance of an Environmental Conditions Approval (AEPO). Additionally, the Directorate of Natural Environment and Biodiversity Management of the Ministry of Environment, responsible for areas within the NATURA network, also issued a negative opinion. It stated that the project could not, under any circumstances, exclude the fragmentation of the protected habitat type, which, combined with already licensed tourist accommodations in the wider area, would threaten the integrity and cohesion of the protected zone.
Furthermore, the authorities highlighted that the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) failed to document adequate water supply for the hotel’s needs, citing the relevant certification from the Municipality of Serifos included in the annex of the EIS, as well as the opinion of the Water Directorate of the South Aegean.
Meanwhile, the municipal committee of the Municipality of Amyntaio decided to issue a positive recommendation for determining the land use of a section of municipal land located in the Agios Panteleimonas agricultural area. The land use determination will follow relevant legal provisions that allow all uses permitted in out-of-plan and out-of-settlement areas, including the construction of hotel facilities.
The decision followed a proposal from the Directorate of Technical Services and Environment, which cited expressed interest in acquiring a section of the municipal land in Agios Panteleimonas for the purpose of constructing a new hotel. To make this possible, it was necessary to first determine the land use of the area in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Basic Urban Planning Legislation.
